Tailoring PRINCE2® to different National Cultures: The Example of China

Peter Drucker has been attributed with coining the famous phrase “Culture eats strategy for breakfast!”. Indeed Culture can represent a main constraint to the successful implementation of a strategy or project if not carefully managed, therefore appropriate mitigation action should be taken into account. 

One of the keys to the successful use of PRINCE2® is the ability to tailor it to specific environments. The method can be adapted to a range of common situations, such as projects working within programmes or projects using particular delivery approaches, such as agile and waterfall. However, one area that is not discussed in detail is how to adapt PRINCE2® to specific cultures. 

For example, one of the first factors to consider when working across cultures is communication. It is important to decide from the beginning which language to use for the project. If a project is primarily based in a specific country, it is usually wise to use a local language. In PRINCE2, the plan for how to communicate is constructed at the beginning of a project and is outlined in the communication management document. 

Imagine you are tasked with implementing a project in China. There are certain aspects of the Chinese culture which should be considered thus to ease this process: 

• The is an acceptance of ambiguity in China which is uncommon in the western countries: rather than saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’, the Chinese often use indirect forms of speech such as allegories and metaphors. Faced with these ambiguities, the foreign project manager needs to translate indefinite objectives into measurable targets that can be recorded in PRINCE2 documentation such as the project initiation documentation (PID). For any avoidance of risk, you could ask trusted local personnel to attend key project meetings and later translate any indirect discussions into something measurable to help track progress. 

• Chinese organizations are usually hierarchical and structured by functional disciplines. In order words, they like specific jobs with clear boundaries, aspect which you should take into consideration when defining roles within the project.

• Establishing trust is a very important factor also. The project manager will need to gain the trust of the local personnel before they will feel comfortable discussing potential problems.

• Family consciousness is another fundamental aspect. A foreign project manager in a temporary role in a Chinese organization may find that, although in theory they are part of the team, they are treated as an outsider. Senior Chinese personnel should attend key project meetings to show their support and to introduce you to any key influencers and stakeholders within the organization. Furthermore, the project board should endeavour to make stage authorizations as visible as possible to show that the non-local project manager is part of the family. 

The cultural approach should be considered during the early parts of the project and be documented in the project initiation documentation (PID). Additionally, the cultural management approach document can highlight the cultural risks and clearly describe the project’s responses to each one. It can contain a background to the specific country’s culture, a cultural glossary and a variety of techniques that could be used to manage any cultural differences between project personnel of different nationalities.